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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 1 27
stretch the field. As camp progressed, he said he
learned the offense better, which allowed him to
make more plays down the field and elsewhere. He
still needs to show a better ability to catch contested
balls, Brohm said during camp, but he made prog-
ress. Before the season starts, Zico is hoping to pass
senior Greg Phillips at the "Z" position and grab the
starting role. Even if he doesn't, though, he's expect-
ed to make a mark in Year 1.
"I'm coming in and I'm giving it all I've got every
day," Zico said. "He's trying to be a starter. I'm trying
to be a starter. So it's actually who wants it more. Who
wants to grind more? We're both looking forward to
playing this year.
"I just plan on making a huge impact."
Okonye hopes the same, and, exiting camp at least,
he was doing it at cornerback.
With projected starter Tim Cason spending most of
camp with the third-team defense while apparent ac-
ademic issues were being handled, Okonye was with
the first-team defense on Day 1 and never let go.
Though Okonye doesn't have any game experience
playing cornerback — all of his snaps were at safety
and nickel at Wake — he still carried himself as a
veteran player in camp, impressing teammates with
his steadiness and football IQ. And his physicality
— as a former safety, he's a well-built 200 pounds, a
nice change for Purdue corners.
"I'm probably one of the biggest corners we have
here. I like to play on that. I'm not afraid to get
my head in, make a tackle," Okonye said. "But at
the same time, I have some speed behind me. I'm
not going to brag about who's the fastest, I'm go-
ing to let the film show that. But I feel like I'm an
all-around good (player). I just have to work on my
technique. Being switched around a lot, sometimes
I didn't have too much time to develop at one po-
sition. So that's one of the things I'm working on
right now, working on honing my techniques spe-
cifically for the corner position. "
An opportunity
On the final day of camp, Purdue didn't have its
projected starting quarterback.
Blough was nursing his throwing shoulder, which
was strained when he dove for a pylon in the team's
first scrimmage, and backup Elijah Sindelar was
maximizing the first-team offensive snaps.
Though Blough targeted a return to the practice
field at least a week before the season opener, Sindelar
wasn't planning on relinquishing those 1 reps easily.
"I am vying to win the starting job. It's never my
tendency or thought process to just be a bench play-
er. I want to be the starter," Sindelar said in camp.
"With that being said, it's a bittersweet situation. I
love David. I hope he gets back as quick as he can
because you don't want to see your good friend go
down. But, at the end of the day, this is a great op-
portunity for me as well. I'm really excited about the
opportunity, but really upset that David is hurt. I
would have liked it to be a different way, if I actually
won the job without him getting hurt. That would
have been the best thing. But I'm still going to try to
win the starting job. If not, I'll be extremely thankful
that I had this opportunity and I'll be ready for the
next one. That's always been my thought process.
It's always been my motivation."
Even after Blough's return, Sindelar still was be-
ing prepared with the first-team offense. Part of that
is being prepared — if Blough isn't fully healed by
Week 1, Purdue won't rush him onto the field — and
part of it is Sindelar earned the boost in snaps with
the 1s.
Jeff Brohm and quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm
said Sindelar progressed throughout camp and were
impressed with his poise in the pocket. Part of that
is Sindelar has grown into his 6-foot-4 frame and en-
tered camp at a sturdy, solid 230 pounds, making him
look even more the part of a No. 1 quarterback.
"He's really picked up the offense. He feels really
comfortable in the pocket, doing a good job moving
within the pocket. I'm really happy with his prog-
ress," Brian Brohm said late in camp. "The more
reps he gets, the better he is going to get and the
more comfortable he's going to feel.
"He can keep his eyes up the field as he shuffles
through where he needs to be within the pass rush.
That's probably one of his best strengths right now,
and we need to continue to have that be a strength
for him. It's something he's done really well."
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